2.5Commercial Speech

The city of San Diego, California, enacted a city zoning ordinance that prohibited outdoor advertising display signsincluding billboards. On-site signs at a business location were exempted from this rule. The city based the restriction on traffic safety and aesthetics. Metromedia, Inc., a company in the business of leasing commercial billboards to advertisers, sued the city of San Diego, alleging that the zoning ordinance was unconstitutional. Metromedia, Inc. v. City of San Diego, 453 U.S. 490, 101 S.Ct. 2882, 69 L.Ed.2d 800, Web 1981 U.S. Lexis 50 (Supreme Court of the United States)

Question:

Is the city zoning ordinance unconstitutional? Please explain the reasoning of your answer.